International drug smugglers with members from Lewisham and Greenwich, who hid cocaine in children's toys, have been jailed.

In total eight men and women have been jailed for a total of 82 years for their part in the multi-million pound drug smuggling operation.

A ninth person received a suspended sentence.

Andrew Stephenson, 47, of Bushey House in Eltham and Darren Sappelton, 25, of Whinchat Road, Thamesmead, recruited the global drug couriers and arranged for their travel across the Caribbean, Holland and Belgium.

The head of the gang Raheem Bailey, 44, had a safe house in Sydenham with a drugs lab set up in the kitchen.

When officers searched the house they found roughly 451g of crack cocaine, 1kg of cannabis, a currency converter and approximately £81,000 in cash.

Bailey, from Waltham Forest, was the last member to be sentenced yesterday (May 22) at Snaresbrook Crown Court and received 15 years.

Bailey oversaw the £5 million smuggling operation between April and July last year, which disguised the drugs in children's gifts, including puzzles.

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Drugs disguised cocaine as children's gifts 

He arranged for the drugs to be imported into the UK from the Caribbean via Holland and Belgium.

Officers began intercepting drug smugglers as they landed in the UK.

Shauna-Rae Howell, 27, of Leybridge Court, Eltham Road in Lewisham, was arrested on April 27 last year when her flight landed at London City Airport.

She was carrying a brand new handbag which was unusually heavy, and when officers unstitched the lining they found two packages of cocaine.

She was also carrying a waterproof box and gift-wrapped jigsaw puzzle also full of cocaine.

In total she was carrying around 7kg of cocaine.

A second person Greg Stoby, 39, of Leytonstone, was also arrested that same day when he landed from Rotterdam.

He was carrying 8kg of cocaine concealed in a laptop bag and jigsaw puzzle wrapped in gift paper.

Officers also intercepted people leaving the UK for Brussels with thousands of Euros.

On June 3, Wesley Headley, 34, of Hackney, was stopped as he tried to board a plane at Heathrow with €141,000 concealed in his suitcase.

On June 8 Atarah Pinder, 25, of Hertfordshire, was stopped trying to board the Eurostar in London with €56,000 in cash in her suitcase.

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Drugs disguised cocaine as children's gifts

All the money was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

Bailey then began importing the drugs directly.

On July 3 husband and wife Helmut and Britta Rutke, 64 and 53, of Germany, were arrested when they landed in Gatwick from the Caribbean.

Bailey was arrested when he met the couple at the airport, who had almost 8kg of cocaine hidden in their suitcases, some of which had been stashed in fake bottoms.

The trio along with Headley, Pinder, Stephenson and Sappleton were all arrested that day as part of a series of coordinated arrest warrants by the MPS and Border Force.

Following Bailey's arrest officers discovered the Sydenham drug house

Headley and Pinder were arrested in their homes and when officers burst in, Headley had failed to flush around 13g of heroin, 4g of crack and a rolex watch.

MORE TOP STORIES Sappleton was arrested in July 2013 for a separate case of cocaine importation, and this trial was heard alongside the conspiracy charges involving Bailey at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Detective constable Mike Stonehouse, from the Met’s Central Task Force, said: “This joint operation was lengthy and complex. It has prevented millions of pounds-worth of illegal drugs flooding UK streets, spreading misery in our communities.

“An international and highly organised crime group has also been put behind bars.”

The MPS Central Task Force, Border Force and National Crime Agency mounted a joint operation to catch the gang.